Returning to the 'Motherland', Illusions and Realities: A Study of Aidoo's <i>The Dilemma Of A Ghost</i> and Onwueme's <i>Legacies/The Missing Face</i>

Abstract

Africans in the Diaspora have been coming back to Africa for centuries now. The twentieth century saw increased interest in Africa as the home of all black people, with the work of influential black revolutionaries such as Marcus Garvey and George Padmore. Individual searches for family roots and sojourns in Africa, have become increasingly common. This journey, however, has not always resulted in a satisfying experience. The reactions of Africans on the continent to their returning kin from the Diaspora also needs considering. These themes are central to Onwueme's Legacies/The Missing Face and form a large part of Aidoo's The Dilemma of a Ghost. This paper examines expectations of characters in these two plays, as they return to Africa and what they actually find once they arrive. It also highlights attitudes of Africans on the continent to the claim of kinship by Africans in the Diaspora.